Memphis_Bill

Absolutely and unequivocally NOT. That's a non-starter right there. The instant they'd start even hinting at this is the instant they lose my $30/mo (two accounts.) If I wanted to pay for absolutely everything, I'd be playing CO.

If you don't like Praetoria - and while I'm not tired of it, I think the whole "Marcus Cole CONQUERS THE MULTIVERSE with the INSANE WELL!" bit is coming from out of left field and rather close to shark-jumping silly - you've already got an option. Make your OWN stuff in AE. (Which, btw, is *another* reason the pay-for-content bit won't fly.)

They really need to revamp that part of the website...

*looks at current forums, gets logged out three times*

... what am I saying?!

(That said, they're updated in a memorable but non-casually-guessed way.)

Yeah. Of all of it... I can *almost* see asking for that on a game you have to stick the CD in each time to play, as you'll likely have that. On a game you can purchase online, add stuff to online, and never see those codes?

Bad, bad idea.

Are *they* going to provide these on request? Even if I had all of the codes, I don't know which ones went to which account right off the top of my head.

Of course, using Windows 7, you *can* do that...
Click on the start button. Just above that, there's "Search programs and files." Type in:
Screenshots

and give it a second. You may have more than one screenshots folder if you have multiple games. If you click on "See more results," it'll open up the results in an Explorer window so you can check them all out.

Alternately, if you search by name, search on:
screenshot_

as all COH screenies start that way.

The default directory, however, will be c:\program files (x86)\City of Heroes\Screenshots

Arguments like this make me shake my head. What makes people think that the people creating bages or IO recipes have *anything* to do with those working on story content?

Both would be getting worked on at the same time. These aren't the days where the COH staff consisted of 15 overworked people.

Side note, I'm like this with Guild Wars. (Well, aside from feeling the game is rather dull.) I realized a while back I hadn't logged in for a year or so, did so, ran around for a few minutes... then logged off.

What I'm replying to (or with it in mind) is more this statement by you before:
Which is a much stronger statement than my:
[quote]
I'm glad there's some small-team stuff, though. That's more likely to be run (and enjoyed) by me than any raid.
[/qutoe]

but which you shot at as being an example of being "dismissive." Where my statement is saying "I may not run that, but there's this over here I'm glad to see."

You're being far too antagonistic. Which, coming from me...

Plus, that *last* part of your quote? What I've seen from you has leaned *very* strongly toward "Solo/small team? Suck it," to be a bit crass about it. Even when there was a discussion with the people wanting that content saying they don't *mind* that it's harder - that without team support, it's going to be anyway - all you did was keep escalating.

That helps nothing.
And how much of that sort of statement has come *after* discussion turns into fighting?

The way the threads tended to go:
"I don't team/team much for whatever reason, I'd like an option for my playstyle, as well."
*insert multiple replies about how "stupid" it is to want to do anything solo in an MMO.*
"Solo's easymode, people need to be forced to team,t hey need incentives even though they do it anyway without them!"
Even if there's a reasonable reply ("We're getting this content now, we should see how this goes,") once that other set of replies started, is it any *wonder* that the positions get more extreme and set?


I'm going to lay out my positions here. Argue them if you want, I don't care, but this is my set of observations, concerns and whatnot.

1. The incarnate system has been presented as a way of increasing your character's power - leveling without leveling.
1a. I think it's completely fair to call them "levels" as we get slot-equivalents and power-equivalents.
1b. I think, *in a broad-brush way,* it's the right way to handle said "leveling" without breaking the current 1-50 structure and rewards.

2. The Incarnate system is heavily raid centric.
2a. Problem, to me: It seems to be circular, the raid for gear to raid for gear to raid.... treadmill. (This is something that I dislike in other games.)
2b. While the *absolute* point of entry we have now can be soloed or finished by a small team (the Mender's arc,) nothing else can. There's a wall put up unless you choose to raid. Some won't due to preference, some can't due to other reasons.
2c. The "alternate" put up is punitive for no good reason, from what we've seen.
2d. I'm not against raids. I just want more than "just" or "mostly" them.

3. There's no use for it elsewhere in the game.
3a. Prior request: Ruularu/Shadow Shard content, where the level of power would be appropriate - and it gets us away from the rather out-of-left-field "Cole Against The Multiverse" plotline. This would give a variety of Incarnate content that wouldn't have to be raid-centric, but encourage investment in the system.
3b. See "Circular raid-for-gear-to-raid treadmill." AE's tickets give me rewards to use elsewhere. PVP gives me INF, inspirations, etc. I can use elsewhere. I don't believe we have another system so encircled by itself.

4. I don't believe the game's population can really deal with raids like these, long term. Introducing them now is awfully late in the game's life.
4a. I don't believe the system itself will cause enough of a draw to make it worthwhile.
4b. See "Raid Schedules" from other games. Lower the frequency for our population. If someone misses a once-a-week raid, it's rather major for them - depending on actual time to run these - but the larger, and very specific, group requirements will make them harder to set up post-"new shiny" phase than a Mothership raid, which is far more inclusive.
4c. If said raiding-on-a-schedule discourages people, it could well hurt the game (and population) further, just compounding the problem. Yes, I hate how Doooooom-y that sounds. But even a population shift to Freedom/Virtue to deal with these could hurt.

5. As it sits right now, I have no reason to invest in the system past Alpha, which I can fill by doing what I do now - mix of solo, teaming and TF/SF as I see fit because I *want* to do the content, not because I'm being dragged there by the nose.
5a. I don't want to suddenly have to feel like I have to play "catch-up" later, either. The shards-while-exemped, at least, helps a little towards this. The INF cost, though, no.
5b. I'm also, on a related note, worried about a "have vs have not," either by perception of the playerbase or dev created penalties like the negative four level shift.

... and I feel like I'm forgetting something.

Yeah, that cost bugs me as well. Yes, I know marketeering I "could" do XYZ and be a billionaire in a week - but it's a part of the game I have no honest interest in.

Looking at my CIT info, across two accounts, I have:
That's the combined total across 279 characters, over two accounts.

It's stuff like that that gets me into "concerned about the direction" posts - but I'll still wait and see. If the Incarnate system is like other stuff they've added, they'll have their big rush, then it'll fizzle out, they'll add something else four issues after and it'll be forgotten about. *shrug*

... I hate being that cynical about a game (and dev team) I've enjoyed so long, but that's where I am now.

Hey, he has possibilities.

Dimension hop, you have a Marcus Cole.
Go again, you've got Old King Cole.
Pick another, you may have Nat King Cole.
And another, he's a drug dealer, called (not to his face) Coca-Cole.
The possibilities are endless!

I'm aware of what it is. I started with that edition. *shrug* Worked for "exhaust" pre-rocket boots, too.

I think you need to get glasses, Geko. I'm not "dismissing" the trials. They're there. I'm saying I'm going to enjoy the small team stuff more. Why? Because I will. Because that's the size I'm comfortable with.

You don't like that, you can't see that without being dismissive of *my* preferences, then too bad for you. You're doing nothing but antagonizing people with that attitude - as you turn around and act completely hypocritical by dismissing badges, etc. earlier. Your antagonism doesn't help anyone.

Asking for an alternate path (that's not punitive) is not saying "other people can't have content they might like."

But again, you refuse to get this, so it's not worth trying to explain *once again* to you.

You get your raids. Yay. Good for you.
I get some small team stuff. I have something I can enjoy.
My concerns over the incarnate system (basically just feeding into itself and my reaction to that) have been stated, rather well I think, by Sam, so I'm just going to let that statement sit. And my hope for using it (appropriately) in revisiting the shadow shard has been stated - yes, I know, no pointer to that in any way by the devs, but the idea's been thrown out there. If something like that happens, that makes the incarnate system something more than a closed little sub-world, great. if not, well, the system's not all that appealing to me. I don't get on the raid for gear to raid for gear to raid.... treadmill.

If you enjoy it, hey, go nuts, have fun.

One, edit out the username.
Two, clear your cookies. Fixed it for me. They did something or other tonight.

Incorrect, but hey, you don't, and don't want to get it, so I'm not getting into it.

I'm glad there's some small-team stuff, though. That's more likely to be run (and enjoyed) by me than any raid.

I suspect that they didn't want word of it getting out if it just wasn't going to work and had to be pulled, instead of dealing with another SSOCS or City Vault.

Y'know, I think this sums up my feelings on it rather well.

I am waiting to see what happens "after" all this. I've suggested - since this is "going beyond" the 1-50 limit of power - that the small team/solo content be put somewhere else that's been neglected and where it'd be fully appropriate - the Shadow Shard. What better than using "godlike" power against an insane god?

I'm just "eh" about this system feeding into itself. It's a treadmill I've avoided other games because of. Just wait for them to get it out of their systems.

Had to use these (well, a variant of them, and not for gaming, no) at Lockheed Martin. Hated doing support there... anyway -

The way I remember it, you had a PIN you created and the key. The key's serial was registered with the server. There's a specific - I hesitate to call it "randomization," really - algorithm that runs in the individual keys, generating a new number every X time frame (30 seconds, 60 seconds, whatever.) The server knows what the number should be, and when it changes (and has a small window of error.) You type in your PIN and the number that shows on the key, the server verifies it and matches the info and either verifies or denies you.

Some did, on occasion, need to be resynchronized, too. Not a hard process, just a bit irritating at LM (play 20 questions, make sure you're asking things they can answer in case they're at a secure facility, etc.)

As a block, it got that way. As something to do when they hit 50, no. I haven't concentrated on one at all. *shrug*
Personally, no. Playerbase as a whole... I'm torn. Yes, in that i was trying to fight a few Rikti raids and was the only person in two zones - though there were several teams of 50s in RWZ. (HUGE population shift, in other words.) No in that "it's the new shiny and will even out."

If you're going to try to insult someone by calling them a genius, it helps if you spell it correctly.

City of Heroes DVD edition - which was out ages ago (I started with it, so it's been a while.) It's basically just a recolored sprint.

Reference: broken clock.